Gift
by jwg676
Summary: Naruto receives a gift from his father. Sequel to the ghost of you


**Title:** Gift

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Uzumaki Naruto, the Fourth Hokage

**Word Count: **1, 587 words

**Warnings: **Nothing I can think of shrug

**Summary: **Naruto receives a very special birthday gift

**A/N: **cries

this is a tribute to an artist named Bekki (as is 'the ghost of you') and yes, I really am beginning to believe that the Fourth is Naruto's father…

Link:  sat alone under the tree, his favourite spot in Konoha.

The grove of trees was on the border of Konoha itself, yet far away enough from the walls for him to remain undetected, the heavy, leafy branches concealing him totally from sight.

The stretch of mountains where the grove was situated afforded a superb view of the village below, but today, Naruto could barely see it through the haze of his tears.

It was his birthday, but he had never felt so alone.

He had awoken that morning with an unusual air of anticipation, and had half expected for something, _anything_ to happen that would set the day apart – but nothing had happened. Sakura was too busy to care, Kakashi was doing whatever it was he did when he wasn't on a mission, and his other friends just hadn't seemed interested.

Naruto couldn't blame them – after all, they had family to spend their special days with.

Not for the first time, his thoughts turned to his family. He hadn't bothered asking anyone about the father he never knew, it had seemed like a pointless waste of time, in fact, he wasn't sure if anyone even knew he had one. In his quieter moments, Naruto would wonder about them both, trying to imagine what they were like. He liked to think that his mother had been a soft, loving woman, who loved her son more than anything, and his father as a strong, gentle man who was fiercely protective of his little family. Sometimes, even though it shamed him, Naruto would lie awake in bed at night, eyes screwed shut, imagining that he was somewhere else, with his family around him – a mother who would kiss him goodnight, a father who would listen to his accomplishments, no matter how meager they were.

It seemed so stupid in the mornings, but he couldn't help himself.

And on his birthday, every single day, he would pray for something to change, and nothing ever did…

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Naruto drew his legs up, resting his head on his knees.

He _hated _birthdays.

For a long moment Naruto allowed his tears to fall, giving in to a very private sorrow that would have continued unabated had it not been for the gentle voice that spoke.

'Little one, why are you crying?'

In shock, Naruto jerked his head up, glancing around. He had been convinced he was alone and saw nothing to dispute that – nothing, except the hazy, ghostlike outline of a figure kneeling down before him.

Wiping his eyes, he wondered if he was losing his mind, but no… slowly, the blurry outlines were coalescing into a solid form, one that was both familiar yet unfamiliar…

Fairly long bright hair, kept out of his eyes by his hitae-ate.

Bright blue eyes that held him in gentle regard.

A sad, wistful smile on his face.

A dark green, standard issue flak jacket.

Long white robes, a raging fire embroidered around the hem…

'Yondaime…' Naruto whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The Fourth nodded slowly. 'Yes, Naruto, that's exactly who I am.'

Naruto stared at him. 'How – how do you know my name?'

The smile on Arashi's face faded. 'All fathers know their sons, Naruto, and your name was more treasured than most.'

As Arashi's words sank in, Naruto felt the blood drain from his face. 'M – my father… you're my f-father…'

Arashi's expression was grieved. 'Yes… I know what you must be thinking – what kind of a father I was to my own child – '

'All this time,' Naruto managed to get out. 'All this time and I never knew – I should have known – my f-father – a hero…'

Arashi reached out and touched Naruto's cheek with a hand that trembled. Laughing a little shakily he said 'oh little one, you must have so many questions to ask, like why I left you to such a terrible fate when I was supposed to protect you…'

Fresh tears filled Naruto's eyes. 'I only have one question,' he whispered. 'Did you – I mean – do you l-love me? Do you also hate me because –'

Arashi closed his eyes for a moment, and Naruto was startled to see a tear slide down his cheek.

'Naruto… oh, Naruto… if only you knew the truth – when you were born, when I held you in my arms, I loved you more than life itself. You wrapped your tiny hand around my finger, and you looked up at me, and all I can remember was looking at you through my tears and wondering if it was possible to die of happiness. I constantly drove my staff to tears, because I was never in my office – I was always with you. I wanted to spend every single minute of every single day with you, to watch you grow, to hear you say your first word, to hear you call me 'daddy', to watch you take your first steps as a shinobi…'

Arashi swallowed back his tears and said softly 'instead, my precious one, I destroyed your life, your existence, when I sealed the nine tails into you. I wanted you to be seen as a hero, but the villagers I sacrificed you to protect turned on you instead…'

Naruto's eyes were wide with something akin to wonder as he listened to the words he had wanted to hear all his life.

Arashi leaned his forehead against Naruto's, and continued.

'I watched the brutal treatment you received at their hands… when I watched you cry, I cried with you, and when I witnessed you struggle to find acceptance, I felt like my heart was breaking… but at the same time, I was so proud, because I realized that I could watch you grow into a very special young man… you handled yourself with such maturity, and grace, you never grew defeated, or gave up on your precious dreams, and I'm prouder than any father could ever be… do I love you? Little one, I never stopped. My life began and ended with you, and even though you never saw me, I was always with you, trying to comfort you when no one else would.'

Naruto reached out and clasped his father's hand. 'I knew you loved me,' he said, his voice breaking.

'Deep down, whenever I would imagine who you were, I told myself that you loved me, that you would never turn away from me. I told myself that you wanted me more than anything, and I was right… you were always with me…'

'I'll never leave you, never,' Arashi told him. 'Whenever you feel like the world is against you, and whenever it's a struggle to get out of bed in the morning, know that I'm always there, that whenever you cry, that my spirit is with you, and that I'm holding you close to my heart, even if you can't feel it. I can't stay with you for much longer, but I want you to remember that I love you, more than anything. Every birthday, I was always there, wishing that we could have celebrated together… but this time, this time, I can spend a few moments with you…'

Arashi held a small, silver box out to Naruto, who took it and held it to his chest, with shaking hands.

'A birthday present?'

'This should have been given to you many years ago,' Arashi said softly. 'When I'm gone, open it. if nothing else, it will remind you of my love for you.'

'C- can't you stay a little longer?' Naruto asked pleadingly.

Arashi shook his head. 'I wish I could, my precious child, but I'm exceeding the time allowed to me. I'm not leaving you, I would never do that – wherever you go, I will follow – but you won't see me again until your time here is over.'

Naruto nodded. 'I understand,' he said. 'I understand, even if I don't like it…'

'Close your eyes,' Arashi whispered.

As Naruto did so, Arashi put his arms around him, holding him tightly, pressing his cheek to Naruto's bright hair. Naruto's hands tightened on the box as he tried to take in all the details – the feel of his father's arms around him, the faint scent of his skin, the feel of the cloak under his cheek – and he heard Arashi laugh softly.

'You're going to break it if you squeeze it any harder, Naruto.'

Naruto didn't say anything, feeling the pressure around him lessen. His heart breaking, he forced his eyes open, watching as his father's form slowly faded away, becoming as insubstantial as the air. Sobs catching in his throat, he watched as Arashi lifted a hand in farewell, and disappeared completely.

It felt like eons had passed before Naruto opened the gift his father had given him: an ornately carved wooden frame, containing a picture of a clearly tearful Hokage, a smile on his face, a tiny bundle in his arms. The baby's eyes were as blue as his father's, the smile as sunny as Arashi's had been.

Clutching the frame to his chest, Naruto smiled through his tears and got to his feet.

Naruto arranged the frame on his windowsill beside the picture of team 7, carefully placing it where it would get the most light.

Flopping down on his bed, he stared at the picture, before whispering 'happy birthday to me…'

It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard a voice whisper 'happy birthday to you…'


End file.
